Jesse Bachir
@drfreedom.bsky.social
Dr [of the philosophy of] freedom. Yes, it does sound like a Marvel villain.
Do-er of philosophy & law (US & UK) | BA, LLB, AM, PhD | Research freedom & free expression | Republicanism/non-domination | Constitutional lawyer(?) | 🏳️🌈 | he/him | 🏳️⚧️ rights!
Do-er of philosophy & law (US & UK) | BA, LLB, AM, PhD | Research freedom & free expression | Republicanism/non-domination | Constitutional lawyer(?) | 🏳️🌈 | he/him | 🏳️⚧️ rights!
Reposted by Jesse Bachir
The UK has gone from "We need to enshrine the right to jury trial in a British Bill of Rights" to "We need to abolish jury trial" in the space of about 3 years.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Jury trials could be scrapped except in most serious cases
Only cases of alleged murder, rape or manslaughter will be decided by a jury under new proposals to cut court backlogs.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 3:56 PM
The UK has gone from "We need to enshrine the right to jury trial in a British Bill of Rights" to "We need to abolish jury trial" in the space of about 3 years.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
I am deluded.
Too much reading philosophy has most certainly ruined my brain and made me deluded! 🫡
Too much reading philosophy has most certainly ruined my brain and made me deluded! 🫡
"gender ideology is anti-gravity nonsense that only the desperate, the deluded and the double-dealing grifters still believe": just in case you were still wondering quite how consumed with hatred are Hadley Freeman and The Sunday Times.
November 23, 2025 at 11:43 AM
I am deluded.
Too much reading philosophy has most certainly ruined my brain and made me deluded! 🫡
Too much reading philosophy has most certainly ruined my brain and made me deluded! 🫡
Are we all having a party? Let’s go.
November 21, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Are we all having a party? Let’s go.
I've been thinking for a while about how anti-trans feminist philosophy is fundamentally illiberal*; Stock's recent publications on both abortion and immigration suggest at least coincidence, though I suspect it is all underpinned by some core set of illiberal values.
*illiberal/dominating
*illiberal/dominating
Kathleen Stock has written an article against "abortion permissiveness". She claims abortion requires "justification" saying the state should limit "unacceptable decision-making" by women about their own bodies.
This is who anti-trans activists proclaim as the feminist thought leaders of our time.
This is who anti-trans activists proclaim as the feminist thought leaders of our time.
November 21, 2025 at 1:17 PM
I've been thinking for a while about how anti-trans feminist philosophy is fundamentally illiberal*; Stock's recent publications on both abortion and immigration suggest at least coincidence, though I suspect it is all underpinned by some core set of illiberal values.
*illiberal/dominating
*illiberal/dominating
Labour proposals: If you're rich, we'll expedite your qualification for settled status. Earn more than £125k/yr? Then you only need to wait 3 years!
If you came via small boat/on a visitor visa (because you were escaping and seeking refugee status), you'll need to wait perhaps at least *30 years*
If you came via small boat/on a visitor visa (because you were escaping and seeking refugee status), you'll need to wait perhaps at least *30 years*
November 20, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Labour proposals: If you're rich, we'll expedite your qualification for settled status. Earn more than £125k/yr? Then you only need to wait 3 years!
If you came via small boat/on a visitor visa (because you were escaping and seeking refugee status), you'll need to wait perhaps at least *30 years*
If you came via small boat/on a visitor visa (because you were escaping and seeking refugee status), you'll need to wait perhaps at least *30 years*
As has become common with GOP attacks on free expression….
First Amendment, who is she?
First Amendment, who is she?
'Courses that “advocate race or gender ideology, sexual orientation, or gender identity” now require presidential approval at Texas A&M system campuses, the system Board of Regents decided Thursday.'
Much will rest on interpretations of 'advocate' and 'ideology'. Or will it? 1/4
Much will rest on interpretations of 'advocate' and 'ideology'. Or will it? 1/4
Texas A&M Requires Approval for Courses That “Advocate” Certain Ideologies
Many faculty members decried the new restrictions on race- and gender-related courses as an assault on academic freedom. Meanwhile, the board also discussed a once-per-semester systemwide course revie...
www.insidehighered.com
November 18, 2025 at 2:30 PM
As has become common with GOP attacks on free expression….
First Amendment, who is she?
First Amendment, who is she?
This.
Refugees make up a proportionally small population. The likelihood that the majority of people are encountering refugees in sufficiently numerous instances to form such negative opinions is probabilistically unlikely.
Instead, it’s scapegoating politics 101.
Refugees make up a proportionally small population. The likelihood that the majority of people are encountering refugees in sufficiently numerous instances to form such negative opinions is probabilistically unlikely.
Instead, it’s scapegoating politics 101.
Have been thinking about “immigration has been tearing this country apart.” Surely I’m not the only person to think that it isn’t true, but inflamed rhetoric about immigration by politicians is what is tearing this country apart and so statements like that only makes it worse.
November 18, 2025 at 2:26 PM
This.
Refugees make up a proportionally small population. The likelihood that the majority of people are encountering refugees in sufficiently numerous instances to form such negative opinions is probabilistically unlikely.
Instead, it’s scapegoating politics 101.
Refugees make up a proportionally small population. The likelihood that the majority of people are encountering refugees in sufficiently numerous instances to form such negative opinions is probabilistically unlikely.
Instead, it’s scapegoating politics 101.
Reposted by Jesse Bachir
Starmer’s anti-asylum policies show how utterly clueless he is about the right-wing media’s role in politics.
He’s trying to fix a “problem” contrived by Farage, GB News and The Telegraph. He’ll never win, because ultimately he’s fighting a ghost – he’s fighting something that doesn’t really exist
He’s trying to fix a “problem” contrived by Farage, GB News and The Telegraph. He’ll never win, because ultimately he’s fighting a ghost – he’s fighting something that doesn’t really exist
November 17, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Starmer’s anti-asylum policies show how utterly clueless he is about the right-wing media’s role in politics.
He’s trying to fix a “problem” contrived by Farage, GB News and The Telegraph. He’ll never win, because ultimately he’s fighting a ghost – he’s fighting something that doesn’t really exist
He’s trying to fix a “problem” contrived by Farage, GB News and The Telegraph. He’ll never win, because ultimately he’s fighting a ghost – he’s fighting something that doesn’t really exist
Left-wing parties shifting to the right — maybe on issues like immigration and refugees (hey, Labour?) — does not save anyone.
It legitimizes the far-right narrative. Fundamentally, it concedes the far-right argument: it agrees with their diagnosis of the purported problem. (Which is wrong).
It legitimizes the far-right narrative. Fundamentally, it concedes the far-right argument: it agrees with their diagnosis of the purported problem. (Which is wrong).
“This was a cynical strategic manoeuvre to avoid losing voters to the far right, but it seems, based on polling, that all they have done is prime their own voters to join the far right rather than stay with the Social Democrats.”
WEIRD!
and also
YOU DON’T SAY!
WEIRD!
and also
YOU DON’T SAY!
Centre-left tipped to lose Copenhagen for first time in electoral history
Political rivals say PM’s divisive politics have encouraged voters to ditch the Social Democrats for the far right
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Left-wing parties shifting to the right — maybe on issues like immigration and refugees (hey, Labour?) — does not save anyone.
It legitimizes the far-right narrative. Fundamentally, it concedes the far-right argument: it agrees with their diagnosis of the purported problem. (Which is wrong).
It legitimizes the far-right narrative. Fundamentally, it concedes the far-right argument: it agrees with their diagnosis of the purported problem. (Which is wrong).
Mahmood’s announcement certainly didn’t make me feel any better.
November 17, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Mahmood’s announcement certainly didn’t make me feel any better.
Writing to my MP to point out that Article 3 is an absolute right; and seizing people's possessions, including valuable jewellery and heirlooms, harkens back to a much darker period of history.
Not how I wanted to be spending my time today.
Not how I wanted to be spending my time today.
November 17, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Writing to my MP to point out that Article 3 is an absolute right; and seizing people's possessions, including valuable jewellery and heirlooms, harkens back to a much darker period of history.
Not how I wanted to be spending my time today.
Not how I wanted to be spending my time today.
Reposted by Jesse Bachir
In the end, we no longer operate in a marketplace of ideas.
Platforms run a marketplace of feeling, where attention, not evidence, decides what rises. Emotional charge beats truth every time. Politics adapts to that logic, producing hollow performances instead of functional decisions.
Platforms run a marketplace of feeling, where attention, not evidence, decides what rises. Emotional charge beats truth every time. Politics adapts to that logic, producing hollow performances instead of functional decisions.
November 16, 2025 at 1:21 PM
In the end, we no longer operate in a marketplace of ideas.
Platforms run a marketplace of feeling, where attention, not evidence, decides what rises. Emotional charge beats truth every time. Politics adapts to that logic, producing hollow performances instead of functional decisions.
Platforms run a marketplace of feeling, where attention, not evidence, decides what rises. Emotional charge beats truth every time. Politics adapts to that logic, producing hollow performances instead of functional decisions.
An astute observation by EB White on the fascist philosophy of freedom. On their view to be free is to hold and enact their anti-liberal values, regardless of the consent or will of those over which such policy be enacted. Instead, individuals are subordinated to the state and made to serve the good
November 17, 2025 at 5:06 AM
An astute observation by EB White on the fascist philosophy of freedom. On their view to be free is to hold and enact their anti-liberal values, regardless of the consent or will of those over which such policy be enacted. Instead, individuals are subordinated to the state and made to serve the good
Imagine:
Two refugees get here, fall in love, and have children right away; or imagine, they came pregnant.
That child will have been born in the UK, spent their entire 18 year childhood in the UK, and now face deportation. Because jus sanguine applies.
They will be deported to that country.
Two refugees get here, fall in love, and have children right away; or imagine, they came pregnant.
That child will have been born in the UK, spent their entire 18 year childhood in the UK, and now face deportation. Because jus sanguine applies.
They will be deported to that country.
You come to Britain as a refugee, fleeing persecution & death, you fall in love, get married, have children, or start a business, buy a house, etc. 19 years later, the Home Office tells you the conflict in your country is over, go home, we’re deporting you. That’s the reality of Labour’s policy.
November 16, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Imagine:
Two refugees get here, fall in love, and have children right away; or imagine, they came pregnant.
That child will have been born in the UK, spent their entire 18 year childhood in the UK, and now face deportation. Because jus sanguine applies.
They will be deported to that country.
Two refugees get here, fall in love, and have children right away; or imagine, they came pregnant.
That child will have been born in the UK, spent their entire 18 year childhood in the UK, and now face deportation. Because jus sanguine applies.
They will be deported to that country.
Reposted by Jesse Bachir
Once upon a time the Labour Party believed it should develop new progressive ideas and policies that would enthuse and inspire the public into the belief that a better world is possible even if if needs some effort now to achieve it.
November 16, 2025 at 6:54 AM
Once upon a time the Labour Party believed it should develop new progressive ideas and policies that would enthuse and inspire the public into the belief that a better world is possible even if if needs some effort now to achieve it.
Hey, Labour. Hey, Mahmood.
This does not work. Chasing the far-right down their authoritarian rabbit hole will not save us.
You merely legitimize their rhetoric by playing their game. Giving them control.
This does not work. Chasing the far-right down their authoritarian rabbit hole will not save us.
You merely legitimize their rhetoric by playing their game. Giving them control.
Harris ran on "I am tougher on immigration than Donald Trump". It was a message she repeated over and over again, each time alienating a large part of her voters in order to appease Republican talking heads who could never be appeased.
www.npr.org/2024/07/30/n...
www.npr.org/2024/07/30/n...
Harris tries to flip the script on Trump on the border during raucous Georgia speech
The issue of border security is one of Vice President Harris' biggest vulnerabilities in her campaign. On Tuesday, she tried to use his signature issue against former President Donald Trump.
www.npr.org
November 16, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Hey, Labour. Hey, Mahmood.
This does not work. Chasing the far-right down their authoritarian rabbit hole will not save us.
You merely legitimize their rhetoric by playing their game. Giving them control.
This does not work. Chasing the far-right down their authoritarian rabbit hole will not save us.
You merely legitimize their rhetoric by playing their game. Giving them control.
An excellent example of why I will not vote Labour. It is no longer a liberal party.
Not everyone is unhappy about the Government's descent into anti-refugee politics
November 16, 2025 at 9:26 PM
An excellent example of why I will not vote Labour. It is no longer a liberal party.
Then you do not deserve to be in power. If you are incapable of providing a better picture that isn’t morally objectionable, you’ve failed.
This is the politics of blackmail. The alternative is not a Reform government. The alternative is maintaining our international commitments to being a compassionate nation
November 15, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Then you do not deserve to be in power. If you are incapable of providing a better picture that isn’t morally objectionable, you’ve failed.
This.
And just to re-iterate, republicanism and liberalism are not identical political philosophies; they have some fundamental disagreements about the nature of freedom and individual good. And it would be nice if that was more commonly/widely known.
And just to re-iterate, republicanism and liberalism are not identical political philosophies; they have some fundamental disagreements about the nature of freedom and individual good. And it would be nice if that was more commonly/widely known.
Suddenly antiliberals who defined “liberalism” to include pretty much the entire American political tradition — from Jeffersonian republicanism to Reagan fusionism, and everything in between — are quite particular about what counts under the recently manufactured concept of “postliberalism.”
November 13, 2025 at 7:32 PM
This.
And just to re-iterate, republicanism and liberalism are not identical political philosophies; they have some fundamental disagreements about the nature of freedom and individual good. And it would be nice if that was more commonly/widely known.
And just to re-iterate, republicanism and liberalism are not identical political philosophies; they have some fundamental disagreements about the nature of freedom and individual good. And it would be nice if that was more commonly/widely known.
Hey, this is what actual fascism look like. It's happening, in the US.
-- signed, someone with expertise in this exact area of philosophy.
-- signed, someone with expertise in this exact area of philosophy.
“I want you to understand what it is like to live in Chicago during this time.”
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
November 10, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Hey, this is what actual fascism look like. It's happening, in the US.
-- signed, someone with expertise in this exact area of philosophy.
-- signed, someone with expertise in this exact area of philosophy.
The Democratic Party, yet again, demonstrating its weakness and inability to supply essential policy around healthcare.
*sigh*
Ending the shutdown now translates to: we did this for nothing. No policy gains have been made.
*sigh*
Ending the shutdown now translates to: we did this for nothing. No policy gains have been made.
November 10, 2025 at 11:41 AM
The Democratic Party, yet again, demonstrating its weakness and inability to supply essential policy around healthcare.
*sigh*
Ending the shutdown now translates to: we did this for nothing. No policy gains have been made.
*sigh*
Ending the shutdown now translates to: we did this for nothing. No policy gains have been made.
Reposted by Jesse Bachir
This is not the country we should be.
A family friend was telling us about what her husband shared about his experience in Broadview before he was deported back to Mexico. She's been sharing to friends and family because she's just in disbelief & horror what her husband told her. She wasn't able to talk to him until he was in Mexico.
November 7, 2025 at 9:01 PM
This is not the country we should be.
Reposted by Jesse Bachir
They just gutted Teen Vogue which had top notch political journalism. The media is continuing to purge any sort of political dissent to Trump and the oligarchs.
www.vogue.com/article/teen...
www.vogue.com/article/teen...
November 3, 2025 at 8:01 PM
They just gutted Teen Vogue which had top notch political journalism. The media is continuing to purge any sort of political dissent to Trump and the oligarchs.
www.vogue.com/article/teen...
www.vogue.com/article/teen...
Yes.
And I feel like the positivists are getting tired of this point: entrenchment is achieved because of internal point of view and rules of recognition. Not because text somewhere says something.
B/c of this, of course it’s conceptually possible to achieve kinds of entrenchment outside of
And I feel like the positivists are getting tired of this point: entrenchment is achieved because of internal point of view and rules of recognition. Not because text somewhere says something.
B/c of this, of course it’s conceptually possible to achieve kinds of entrenchment outside of
However, what that requires is that a majority of the officials of the system - and particularly a majority of senior officials, including judges - 'go along' with Parliament's attempt to 'self-entrench' legislation (what this means in the post below). /3
ukconstitutionallaw.org/2022/12/19/v...
ukconstitutionallaw.org/2022/12/19/v...
October 27, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Yes.
And I feel like the positivists are getting tired of this point: entrenchment is achieved because of internal point of view and rules of recognition. Not because text somewhere says something.
B/c of this, of course it’s conceptually possible to achieve kinds of entrenchment outside of
And I feel like the positivists are getting tired of this point: entrenchment is achieved because of internal point of view and rules of recognition. Not because text somewhere says something.
B/c of this, of course it’s conceptually possible to achieve kinds of entrenchment outside of
Reposted by Jesse Bachir
close the law schools
October 26, 2025 at 3:21 PM
close the law schools